You may not think that athletes make up a pit crew, but when
a second saved in the pits can lead to several positions gained on the track,
NASCAR teams are finding edges wherever they can get them.

Derrell Edwards, a former college basketball player at High Point University in North Carolina, is one of the faces of The Drive for Diversity program on pit row.

Edwards made history in 2018 by becoming the first black pit crew member to be part of a Daytona 500 victory, when Austin Dillon piloted his No. 3 Chevrolet to the win in the Great American Race.

Edwards, who didn’t grow up following NASCAR, began his
career at Richard Childress Racing as an intern during his senior year of
college. He moved his way up auto racing’s ranks much like a driver does –
ARCA, Xfinity Series, and then the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

“Some people just feel like they may not have a chance to
even be a part of NASCAR, but I’m living proof that from my culture as a
minority you can get into it and be successful as well,” Edwards told
NASCAR.com shortly after Dillon’s Daytona 500 victory. “It’s showing that
NASCAR has no problem with it. And that’s what I love. It’ll be great for
NASCAR to get these different viewers in, more people interested and getting
into the sport itself.”

Edwards hopes his story resonates with both athletes who are looking for a career that can put their physical attributes to good use, and black children growing up and seeing people who look like them succeeding at a high level.

Check out our interview with Derrell Edwards during the 2019 Daytona 500.

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